No. 4 San Diego State Vs. No. 9 BYU: Mountain West Games Don’t Get Any Bigger Than This

GAME NOTES: For the first time in the history of the Marriott Center, the facility is hosting a game between a pair of top-10 programs as the undefeated and fourth-ranked San Diego State Aztecs stop by to visit the ninth-ranked BYU Cougars for perhaps the biggest regular-season game in Mountain West Conference history.

Along with top-ranked Ohio State, the Aztecs are the only team in the nation still yet to suffer a loss and are currently enjoying one of the longest win streaks in the country at 20-0. Off to their best start in school history, the Aztecs have been out of action for a week since defeating Air Force by a score of 68-55 at home. With the victory over the academy, SDSU moved to 5-0 in conference, which is where the Cougars find themselves as well.

Aside from a neutral-site loss to UCLA in Anaheim in the middle of December, the Cougars have led a charmed life in 2010-11 as well. A 94-85 win over Colorado State at Moby Arena last Saturday was the team's ninth in a row and the 19th on the season overall. Voted the ninth-best team in the country this week, the Cougars are enjoying their highest ranking since the 1987-88 season.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Cougars have taken a 46-22 advantage over SDSU, having won two in a row and five of the last six encounters. The teams are scheduled to meet again in San Diego a month from now.

After putting up 30 points in the win over New Mexico, D.J. Gay followed up with a team-best 20 points in the victory versus Air Force at home last week, marking the first time in Gay's career that he's logged at least 20 points in back-to-back games. Billy White contributed with 12 points and Kawhi Leonard registered yet another double-double with his 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as the Aztecs dominated the glass as expected, 34-20. If there was a hitch in SDSU's efforts it was at the free-throw line where the squad was a mere 7-of-16. A starter in all 19 games in which he has appeared, Leonard is averaging a double-double for the Aztecs with 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Active in all phases of the game, Leonard is also second on the team with 50 assists and paces the group with 29 steals so he is always giving it his all at both ends of the floor. Gay is now up to 12.8 ppg, followed by Malcolm Thomas who delivers 11.9 ppg and provides some added muscle in the paint with 8.1 rpg.

While the Aztecs tend to attack opponents with brute force, BYU is a bit more calculating and operates with much more finesse, just ask All-America candidate Jimmer Fredette who finished with an incredible 42 points in the win over Colorado State last Saturday night. Fredette, who has the freedom to let fly with shots from anywhere and everywhere, connected on 4-of-9 tries from behind the three-point line, and all but one of his 17 free-throw chances as he reached the 40-point plateau for the second time in a span of just three games. Also having strong games versus the Rams were Jackson Emery and Kyle Collinsworth with 16 points apiece, and Brandon Davies with 12 and a team-best nine boards. The top scorer in the nation, Fredette is producing a whopping 26.7 ppg right now, thanks to 41.0 percent accuracy beyond the arc and an even 90 percent at the free-throw line. When opponents are able to slow down Fredette, the Cougars then turn to Emery (13.0 ppg) and Davies (11.3 ppg) who are able to go on the offensive as well. Because BYU is much more than Fredette, the team is one of the top scoring groups in the country with 85.2 ppg.

The Aztecs are bound to try and slow the pace of this game in order to limit the number of touches by Fredette, but even so SDSU will have to do even more than that to keep its unbeaten streak alive in a hostile environment.

GAME NOTES: For the first time in the history of the Marriott Center, the facility is hosting a game between a pair of top-10 programs as the undefeated and fourth-ranked San Diego State Aztecs stop by to visit the ninth-ranked BYU Cougars for perhaps the biggest regular-season game in Mountain West Conference history.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Marriott Center (22,700) -- Provo, Utah. Television: CBS College Sports. Home Record: SDSU 9-0, BYU 8-0. Away Record: SDSU 7-0, BYU 6-0. Neutral Record: SDSU 4-0, BYU 5-1. Conference Record: SDSU 5-0, BYU 5-0. Series Record: BYU leads, 46-22.

BYU 78, San Diego State 72